The Owner of the Healing Therapy Shop Is Ranked 0th in the World - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Owner of the Healing Therapy Shop is World Rank 0

Chapter 6

‘One hundred thousand won… no, one million won for a single bottle of oil? Just selling one bottle would cover the monthly rent?’

Hadn’t my earnings always been tight even when I worked without a single day off, staying open until late hours?

My financial situation, which hadn’t improved even after tightening my belt and switching to cheaper medicine, flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern.

Gulp.

I involuntarily swallowed my saliva.

Doesn’t everyone become weak in front of money? Especially someone who’s been eating nothing but plain rice and kimchi for a week due to lack of funds.

“Still not coming over?”

As my silence grew longer, the cat began tapping the floor with its tail.

No, actually, I was almost completely swayed.

They’re saying I can completely cure the nervous sensitivity that’s plagued me my whole life and easily make money too – there’s no reason to refuse, right?

However, the reason I still couldn’t readily give a positive answer was because of the ‘purpose’ for which the cat lent me this power.

Save humanity and protect world peace.

Isn’t that too grand a cause for an ordinary 26-year-old self-employed person to bear? It’s not like I’m some hero from a movie.

Mimi didn’t explain exactly what kind of work I needed to do, but it was certainly something that would require me to be prepared for my peaceful daily life to be completely turned upside down.

“I liked even that cautiousness of yours, you know.”

Mimi walked with an arrogant gait, tail raised high as if to end my worrying.

I watched to see what she was going to do, and she pressed the power button on the remote with her small, round, black paw.

The TV, which was tuned to a news channel, happened to be broadcasting breaking news.

[This is breaking news. We’ve received word that South Korea’s S-rank hunter Ohyeongtaek, who was heading to Tokyo for gate support, has fallen into a Maze Gate and lost contact. It’s been four hours since Oori, one of only three search skill hunters in the world, was deployed, but…]

[Countries other than the United States and Japan, which possess search skill hunters, have fallen into a situation where they can only watch helplessly. The only hope is support from South Korea’s hunter Gangjinseong, who is the only one to have successfully cleared a Maze Gate…]

[While the Maze Gate is rated as D-rank, its danger level is measured as A-rank due to the lack of escape methods. As time passes, survival rates become extremely low due to stamina and food shortage issues…]]

“I’m telling you this because you seem unaware.”

The cat that had casually turned on the TV lay on the sofa and blatantly watched me.

My expression contorting with shock.

“Don’t expect other hunters with search skills to clear it.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s that kind of gate.”

“…”

[Waaaah! Waaaah!]

The camera caught a child crying pitifully while clutching a rabbit doll.

Judging by the debris scattered around, there was no doubt that the parents had been sucked into the gate.

As soon as I saw that scene, my fists clenched with strength.

This tragedy that reminds me of painful past is now prevalent worldwide, and the power to end it exists only with me in the entire world.

…How could I refuse?

My contemplation wasn’t long.

“I’ll do it.”

“Good. From now on, you’ll prevent the dangers that will befall Earth, together with me.”

The mysterious being wearing the guise of an animal gazed at me and smiled meaningfully.

^[Title Acquired: Wise Chooser]^

^[Main Quest Generated!]^

^[Clear the Maze Gates that threaten Earth’s safety! (1/22)

Time Limit: 490 hours 55 minutes 40 seconds

^[Upon Failure: You will lose someone precious]^

^[Upon Success: 2 stat points, class level up]^

* * *

Is this a dream or reality?

I dragged my tired body and collapsed onto the sofa.

“Haah…”

I closed my eyes with the back of my hand on my forehead. Then the extraordinary events I experienced today flashed by like a revolving lantern.

Not only did I awaken as soon as I fell into a gate, but I also learned that Mimi is some kind of alien life form, and on top of that, she’s telling me to save Earth.

I thought a dream would actually be more plausible.

“To think I awakened.”

To me, hunters weren’t heroes who saved humanity from the massive danger called gates.

They were just pitiful beings who had to throw their bodies into gates for the sake of others.

Nevertheless, the reason I wanted to awaken even while enduring harsh training at the Hunter Training Facility was because I thought that if I became a hunter, I might be able to get revenge for my parents.

I wanted to become strong and completely eliminate the existence called gates that devoured my parents.

However, when I couldn’t receive an awakening assessment even after turning 25, I gave up everything and focused only on my current life. The world was already overwhelming enough just trying to survive on my own.

‘But now I’ve awakened…’

Rather than joy, I felt bitter.

The long period of 18 years was enough time to not just extinguish the emotions that burned like an active volcano, but to make them hazy like a foggy road.

Moreover, having to enter those terrifying gates 21 more times and risk my life running through them. I really didn’t want to do it.

I’m neither good at running nor do I have high awakening stats.

Even if I survived the first time by luck, no one can guarantee what will happen next.

I glanced at some alien life form casually pressing the TV power button with its front paw.

“Hah.”

…Still, since I said I’d do it, I should take responsibility.

“Status window.”

I looked at the status window with cat ears attached with a feeling of despair.

^[Hidden Class: Novice Healing Therapy Shop Owner]^

^[Skill: Absolute Sense (EX rank)]^

^[Passive Skill: Relax (Shop visitors feel an inexplicable comfort)]^

^[Vision: 1

Hearing: 0

Smell: 0

Taste: 0

Touch: 0

??: ?]^

^[Remaining Stat Points: 1]^

^[Good Deed Points: Calculating]^

It wasn’t as absurd as when I first saw this class and skill name, but looking at it again still made me burst into hollow laughter.

What on earth is this unheard-of class supposed to be?

“How exactly am I supposed to save the world with this?”

I muttered loudly on purpose for the cat to hear. Then Mimi twisted one corner of her mouth into a smile.

‘What does that mean?’

When I turned my gaze back to the status window, suddenly a pop-up window appeared and sparkled.

^[Would you like to receive the clear reward?]^

Ah, right. I was so out of it earlier that I forgot.

‘What will come out?’

With a secretly excited heart, as soon as I pressed the ‘Yes’ button, a square gift box appeared with a pop.

The box bounced around while continuously changing the color of its wrapping paper. That sight might have been cute, but the name attached below the box made me anxious.

“Beginner Store Owner’s Honey Item Random Box…?”

A random box?

When I looked at the cat in confusion, Mimi’s yellow eyes were sparkling pressingly. It was as if she was urging me to hurry up and unwrap a birthday present.

“Are there duds in this too?”

“No.”

Hearing there were no duds, I boldly touched the box.

Ta-da-!

Then, with some cheesy sound effect, a single piece of paper dropped down with a thud.

“What, what is this?”

I jumped up and picked up the item that had fallen to the floor.

Just a piece of paper as a clear reward? With an expression that couldn’t hide my disappointment, I examined the paper.

“…Short-term employment contract?”

What the hell is this? What kind of gate clear reward is this?

When the paper fell, I naturally thought it was a scroll, but an employment contract?

The moment I whipped my head around to complain to the Store Owner who made the clear reward into a lottery.

“Oh, you drew something very good right from the start?”

The cat opened her eyes wide and made her mouth into a round shape. She didn’t seem to be acting.

“This is supposed to be good?”

I looked back at the fluttering paper with suspicious eyes.

[Short-term Employment Contract]

1. Duration: One month from contract date

2. Job duties: All tasks necessary for store operation (However, tasks unrelated to store operation cannot be assigned.)

3. Salary: Unpaid

“…What, unpaid? Is this a slave contract?”

My brow furrowed slightly.

I couldn’t understand why this tiny store would need to hire a part-timer, and I had no idea how to interpret these absurd job duties and especially this “unpaid” part.

I couldn’t see where this was supposed to be a good item.

When I roughly flipped the paper over, there was writing there too.

“Terms and conditions…?”

[Employment Contract Terms]

1. The employment relationship continues for 30 days from the contract date, and the employee is automatically registered as the employer’s ‘party member.’

2. For efficient store operation, the employee is granted the following abilities for one month.

– Basic stats (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, Luck) increased by 30% each

– Mana regeneration speed increased by 30%

– Immunity to all status ailments and debuff effects

– 100% item drop rate when clearing gates and 30% additional coin acquisition

– One-time only, 100% nullification of all physical and magical damage

– 10% alleviation of mana addiction

3. During the contract period, the employee cannot cause any harm to the employer.

4. The employment contract signing method is as follows…

“Th-this is…”

The paper in my hands began to tremble.

My eyes wandering over the text lost their way, and my parted lips wouldn’t close easily.

The contract contents were beyond groundbreaking—they were shocking.

The listed abilities were greater than using dozens of existing S-rank items simultaneously.

“Really, with just this one contract, I can get these cheat-level buffs…?”

“Ahem! Didn’t I say it was a good item?”

The cat’s tail was stretched out proudly.

“This goes beyond good—it’s cheat-level…”

Among them, the most unbelievable ability was ‘mana addiction alleviation.’

Mana addiction is a disease where mana residue accumulates in the body or brain, causing various side effects, and it’s a disease that all hunters get, with only differences in severity.

Because of this disease, hunters’ active lifespan is limited to an average of 15 years, and the period is shortened for higher-grade hunters who use more mana.

There’s even a saying that if mana addiction didn’t exist, humanity would already be free from gates.

The problem is that no potion or skill capable of treating the addiction has been reported even once in 20 years.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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